Compact Groups of Galaxies: Evolution of the Stellar Population

We present a study focusing on the nature of compact groups (CGs) through the study of their elliptical (E) galaxies. Parameters describing the internal dynamics and the stellar populations of the galaxies are compared with their counterparts in other environments. Our sample has24 bright E galaxies...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysics and space science 2001-01, Vol.276 (2-4), p.717-723
Main Authors: Garcia De La Rosa, I, Coziol, R, De Carvalho, RR, Zepf, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Clusters
Dynamics
Evolution
Focusing
Galaxies
Spectra
Star & galaxy formation
Stellar populations
Telescopes
Wavelengths
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We present a study focusing on the nature of compact groups (CGs) through the study of their elliptical (E) galaxies. Parameters describing the internal dynamics and the stellar populations of the galaxies are compared with their counterparts in other environments. Our sample has24 bright E galaxies located in the core of Hickson CGs and 11 bright 'bona fide' Es, located in the field or very loose groups. Their spectra were obtained with the 2.1 m Telescope at KPNO and have a 4.1 Aa resolution over the wavelength range 3500-7000 Aa. We have found that, from the dynamical point of view, E galaxies in CGs are essentially similar to those in dense clusters. Moreover, the stellar populations of Es in CGs seem to be older and less metal rich than those in the field, behaviour which has also been observed by Rose et al. (1994).
ISSN:0004-640X
1572-946X
DOI:10.1023/A:1017574202049